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CISPA Author: It's Not Perfect, But We're Making 'Tremendous Progress'

The author of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, admits the bill isn't perfect. But he believes he's making "tremendous progress" towards passing a law that protects the U.S. from cyberattacks without trampling on Americans' right to privacy.

CISPA's intention is to foster cyber threat communication between businesses and the government. Rogers' main concern: state-sponsored cyberattacks that steal top-secret information from American firms in order to give foreign companies an unfair advantage in the global marketplace.

Critics of the bill consider its language too vague, resulting in legislation that could end the notion of online privacy. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) and other groups are working together on a "week of action" to inform people about what they consider the dangers of CISPA.

Additionally, many Internet users are standing guard for the "next SOPA" — and some believe CISPA is exactly that. The sudden controversy over CISPA didn't entirely surprise Rogers, but he didn't expect it to be public enemy number one for many Internet users, either.

"It’s not the scary piece of legislation that folks out there are making it out to be," says Rogers. "The good news is...I think we’re crossing that treshhold of getting people to understand what we’re trying to accomplish. We’re doing this in a transparent way, and we feel better by the day."

Rogers and the House Intelligence Committee have been engaging with the technology industry, privacy groups and others to find ways to improve the bill. The committee has been posting updated "discussion drafts" as the process unfolds.

Recently, they made a half-convert of Engine Advocacy, an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Engine isn't fully behind the bill as written, but they're satisfied enough with the changes that have been made in committee to withdraw their opposition.

28 other companies and trade groups have publicly announced their support of CISPA, including heavy-hitters such as Facebook and Microsoft. Google isn't publicly supporting the bill, but the company has been working on CISPA behind-the-scenes with Rogers, the technology industry and privacy groups, according to a recent report from The Hill.

Rogers says the companies in favor of the bill want a common pool of knowledge where they can learn about and prepare for cyberattacks — to which they've all fallen victim. He also believes their support is evidence the bill is less dangerous than many observers are making it out to be.

Some groups, including the EFF and the CDT, still aren't convinced. Of particular concern to them is CISPA's national security clause, which they believe will allow the government to snoop on Internet users' emails, text messages and social media profiles.

Rogers says that simply isn't true. In his opinion, CISPA is carefully worded and intended only to share information about cyberattacks designed to harm vital infrastructure, or those backed by foreign governments trying to steal the intellectual property of American businesses.

"'National security' has a meaning," says Rogers. "It's any threat to the security of the U.S. that can either be by physical harm or in some ways economic harm, so you can have really both ways. So in other words, if you want to go and shut down and attack an electrical grid, that clearly has national security implications. I think it would be morally reprehensible for us not to prevent that loss of life."

Is CISPA the Internet's next "public enemy number one," or is it a much-needed defense against cyberattacks? Sound off in the comments below.

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